I tried this game a while back and didn't really like it that much, then decided to give it a second chance this past week and I'm now finding myself getting into it, probably mostly because its combination of conspiracy theories, philosophical themes, and supernatural horror just isn't something you see every day. While there are quite a few "kill X number of zombies" quests and the combat mechanics are, IMO, frankly pretty tedious, the sense that this is part of some bigger picture and that I'm trying to solve a mystery does come across effectively.
But...
I can't help but wonder whether it would be even better as a single-player game with actual dialogue choices and a chance to shape your character as opposed to just clicking on other characters to make them talk *at* you. I don't seem to have any choices besides accepting or refusing the side quests, though maybe that will change eventually. Plus, the player-character seems remarkably blase about the entire situation. I suddenly wake up with supernatural powers from swallowing a bee, I get drafted into one or another centuries-old clandestine organizations (all of which are distinctly more "Renegade" in their outlook than I'd prefer), and I get sent through a magical subterranean tunnel system to a town being overrun by zombies and monsters...and I don't once stop to demand that someone explain just what the hell is going on here??? I suppose I can imagine my character being scared, confused, and angry about what's happening, but it doesn't seem like there's any opportunity to make that a meaningful part of the gameplay.
And while this is the only MMO I've ever played for more than, say, about an hour, I have to say that the multiplayer aspect seems almost entirely pointless so far. I can see a bunch of other players around me who are clearly playing through the same quests as I am, and we *can* collaborate on combat if we want, but it doesn't seem to matter whether we do or not. It would be one thing if it meant we got to compare notes on our organizations, or if it opened an opportunity to collaborate on a future mission that would then progress differently, but instead it just seems to be, "Help Joe Schmoe over there kill a monster if you feel like it, but if not, no big deal." I gather that there are separate PvP battles between the factions, but either I haven't hit a narrative "trigger" that would lead into these or they are relatively disconnected from the rest of the story.
I don't know if many others here have played this game, but if you have, is it worth sticking with it for the exploration and the twists and turns, even if you don't really get to shape your character's personality that much? And do the multiplayer features ever really become an integral part of the narrative, or do they remain more of an add-on?
Retour en haut
